7/13/14 It's raining frogs (M15 prerelease sealed 3-1)

I went to Gamescape North for the second day of M15 prerelease.  I picked black again.

I went to bed last night at 11:15 p.m., woke up at 1:30 a.m., didn't fall asleep until 2:30 a.m.  Then I woke up again at 7 a.m., and stayed awake.  Since I was still awake, I got some cardio done in the morning.

I decided to not drink any Red Bull this morning, as consumption of Red Bull messed up my line of play last time.   I drank some tea instead, using my new electric kettle that my friend gave me.  

There were 51 people at today's prerelease.   It looks like the prerelease was more busy today compared to yesterday.  

Seeded pack rare was:  Ob Nixilis, Unshackled.  I got it from a regular pack yesterday.

Other rares:

Spectra Ward

Ajani Steadfast

Polymorphist's Jest

Shivan Reef (again)

Genesis Hydra (again)

POOL:

Black:
2 Typhoid Rats

1 Leeching Sliver
1 Witch's Familiar

1 Necromancer's Assistant
2 Accursed Spirit

2 Rotfeaster Maggot
1 Shadowcloak Vampire
1 Indulgent Tormentor
1 Ob Nixilis, Unshackled

-----
1 Ulcerate

1 Eternal Thirst

2 Mind Rot

1 Necrobite

1 Feast on the Fallen

1 Caustic Tar

1 Endless Obedience
1 Covenant of Blood

Blue:

2 Welkin Tern

1 Frost Lynx

1 Aeronaut Tinkerer

1 Coral Barrier

1 Jorubai Murk Lurker

1 Nimbus of the Isles

1 Glacial Crasher

-----

2 Negate

1 Divination

1 Dissipate

1 Polymorphist's Jest

1 Chronostutter

Green: 

1 Elvish Mystic

1 Sunblade Elf

1 Satyr Wayfinder

2 Netcaster Spider

2 Invasive Species

1 Shaman of Spring

1 Living Totem

1 Charging Rhino

1 Genesis Hydra

2 Siege Wurm

-----

1 Vineweft

1 Back to Nature

1 Hunt the Weak

Red:

1 Forge Devil

2 Rummaging Goblin

1 Krenko's Enforcer

1 Wall of Fire

1 Paragon of Fierce Defiance

1 Kird Chieftain

1 Thundering Giant

1 Miner's Bane

-----

1 Crowd's Favor

1 Lightning Strike

2 Circle of Flame

1 Might Makes Right

White:  

1 Kinsbaile Skirmisher

1 Oreskos Swiftclaw

1 Heliod's Pilgrim

1 Midnight Guard

1 Seraph of the Masses

------

1 Oppressive Rays

1 Ephmeral Shields

1 Pillar of Light

1 Devouring Light

1 Ajani Steadfast

1 Sanctified Charge

1 Spectra Ward

1 Triplicate Spirits

Artifact:

1 Ornithopter

1 Bronze Sable

-----

1 Rogue's Gloves

1 Staff of the Wild Magus

Lands:

1 Swamp (foil)

1 Shivan Reef

I thought about going black/white, forcing aura with Heliod's Pilgrim.  Unfortunately, white left with me with like 5 playable creatures (including Heliod's Pilgrim, and Triplicate Spirits as 1 creature, even though it makes 3 1/1 spirit tokens).  I was leery of playing a 13 creature deck, so I ended up going black/blue flyers, with Rogue's Gloves.  

FINAL DECK:

Black:  10

2 Typhoid Rats

1 Witch's Familiar

2 Accursed Spirit

1 Shadowcloak Vampire

1 Indulgent Tormentor

1 Ob Nixilis, Unshackled

-----

1 Ulcerate

1 Covenant of Blood

Blue:  10

2 Welkin Tern

1 Frost Lynx

1 Aeronaut Tinkerer

1 Coral Barrier

1 Jorubai Murk Lurker

1 Nimbus of the Isles

-----

1 Divination

1 Dissipate

1 Polymorphist's Jest

White:  1

1 Ajani Steadfast

Artifact:  1

1 Rogue's Gloves

Lands:  18

8 Swamp

7 Island

1 Plains

2 Evolving Wilds

I like running a few 3 mana 2/3's, to give me time to get to the late game.  Also Coral Barrier is a 1/3, but it provides a 1/1 that can trade with Oreskos Swiftclaw or 1/1 deathtouchers.  

I could have probably gotten away with 17 lands in this deck, to be fair.   There was only 3 5 drops, and 1 6 drop and 1 7 drop.  

The +1 Swamp over Islands was because of the 2 Typhoid Rats. 

ALTERNATE POSSIBLE DECK:

Green: 12

1 Elvish Mystic

1 Sunblade Elf

2 Netcaster Spider

2 Invasive Species

1 Shaman of Spring

1 Living Totem

1 Charging Rhino

1 Genesis Hydra

1 Siege Wurm

-----

1 Hunt the Weak

White:  10

1 Kinsbaile Skirmisher

1 Oreskos Swiftclaw

1 Heliod's Pilgrim

1 Midnight Guard

1 Seraph of the Masses (I wouldn't consider this playable in black/white, but more likely to play this in green/white).  

------

1 Ephmeral Shields

1 Pillar of Light

1 Devouring Light

1 Ajani Steadfast

1 Spectra Ward

1 Triplicate Spirits

Invasive Species + Heliod's Pilgrim, Living Totem, Shaman of Spring, Genesis Hydra value combos.  Though I only had one aura I would play in green/white, so I wouldn't bother bouncing Pilgrim.  Also playing 4 mana just to draw a card off Shaman of Spring (by replaying it) is not super good.  

This deck has more creatures in it (16 actual creature spells, plus Triplicate Spirits) so I would consider playing the Seraph of the Masses in it, instead of playing black/white.

Match 1:  Bye

For the first time in over a year, I got a round 1 bye at a Gamescape North tournament.  I went over to Falafel Hut and ordered a Chicken Shish Kebab pita.  I took it back to Gamescape North, to eat. was extremely messy;  I ended up just eating the chicken part and putting the rest in the trash.  Next time, I will ask for a fork.

It was still pretty good that I got a bye, since I was feeling hungry after exercising in the morning.  

Match 2:  GW (2-0)

Game 1:

Rogue's Gloves + Welkin Tern gave me a lot of CA here.

My opponent played First Response into Triplicate Spirits.

I paid 2 life, gave my Shadowcloak Vampire flying.  He blocked with a 1/1 Spirit, pumped it with Titanic Growth.  I used Ulcerate on the Spirit in response, killing the Spirit.  

He eventually folded to Ob Nixilis, Unshackled, Shadowcloak Vampire, and Welkin Tern.

Game 2:

He had a bunch of tokens to block (from First Response, and Triplicate Spirits).

Rogue's Gloves + Accursed Spirit did work.  Jorubai Murk Lurker to give lifelink just sweetened the deal.  I swung with double Accursed Spirit and finished him with Covenant of Blood.

Match 3:   BG Dreamcrusher

Game 1:

Had to mull to 5.  I traded Frost Lynx off with Toxic Sliver, even though I had Polymorphist's Jest in hand.  Then I blocked Welkin Tern on his Ob Nixilis, and cast Polymorphist's Jest to turn it into a 1/1, trading 2 of my cards for his 1.  Then he played Charging Rhino, and I couldn't hit 7 mana to use Covenant of Blood.

Game 2:

Had to mull to 6, with 3 lands, Ulcerate, Dissipate, Ajani Steadast in hand.

I should have sideboarded out the Accursed Spirit, but I didn't have other creatures I would really want to play.   He played turn 2 Runeclaw Bear, into turn 3 Satyr Wayfinder and turn 4 Satyr Wayfinder. I decided to not kill his Runeclaw Bear with Ulcerate, instead holding up mana for something better.  I ended up taking 6 damage from the Bear, then another 3 when I finally Ulcerated it.  I countered his Ob Nixilis with Dissipate, but next turn he played Garruk Apex Predator and that was kinda game.   I had an Accursed Spirit on board, and an Ajani Steadfast in hand, but he was just pumping out deathtouch beasts like crazy.  I did play Ajani Steadfast, pumped my spirit and attacked Garruk, just to gain 4 life.  Then he killed Ajani with Garruk, bringing it to 4 Loyalty and attacked me with everything,  bringing me to 3 life.  I had to block with my Typhoid Rats and Accursed Spirit to not die.    I didn't draw a 7th land, so I couldn't kill his Garruk with Covenant of Blood.   I realize I could have just blocked one of his 1/1's with Accursed Spirit, bringing me to 1 life, then I could tap 6 lands and Accursed Spirit to Covenant of Blood his Garruk (with 4 counters) bringing me to 5 life.

It wouldn't have mattered really since I would have been at 5 life and he would still have 5 power on board anyways, from all his remaining attacks.

Match 4:   BW grind (2-0)

Game 1:

He plays a turn 1 Cruel Sadist, which is kinda annoying.  He pops off a Flesh to Dust on my Shadowcloak Vampire, and a Covenant of Blood on my Indulgent Tormentor.  He plays a Constricting Sliver to exile one of my Welkin Tern, then plays an Eternal Thirst on the Sliver.   He plays a Stab Wound on my Coral Barrier.

Eventually, he attacks with the Constricting Sliver, and I chump block the barrier on his Sliver, even though it gives his Sliver another +1/+1 counter from the Eternal Thirst.  His Sliver gets up to 6/6.

He ends up using the Sadist to kill my Ob Nixilis, Unshackled.   His Sadist finally has 0 counters.  I have him down to 2 life now, though.  He attacks with Constricting Sliver to gain life.  I think I want to follow up with Polymorphist's Jest, but I have to ask a judge to find out how Polymorphist's Jest interacts with Eternal Thirst.  The judges rule that Polymorphist's Jest removes the lifelink, because of timestamps.  So I block with  Typhoid Rats, play Polymorphist's Jest.  He responds with Ephemeral Shields.  So my Rats still dies, and doesn't gain life, or get a counter.   I have him dead on board with my other Welkin Tern.   He scoops.

Game 2:

He plays a turn 3 Heliod's Pilgrim, searching up Spectra Ward (!!!)

Next turn he plays a Eternal Thirst on his Pilgrim, and I respond with Ulcerate.  He stalls for a bit, and I don't know why.  Apparently it turned out he had an Ephemeral Shields in his hand, but Ulcerate gives -3/-3, so giving indestructible doesn't matter (it became a -2/-1 creature from Ulcerate)

He puts a Stab Wound on my Nimbus of Isles (ouch) but it doesn't matter.  I play a Indulgent Tormentor and he has Covenant of Blood for it.  I eventually curve out into Shadowcloak Vampire, Welkin Tern, and Typhoid Rats.  He apparently never drew another creature.  I was holding up Dissipate the whole time, for his Spectra Ward (or whatever creature he decides to play, so his Spectra Ward is useless).

After the game, my opponent says he wants to build an EDH deck around Ob Nixilis, Unshackled.  I check the price on it (it's 1.50 on tcgplayer) and I just toss the card over to him, as a gesture of goodwill.

Result:  3-1 (5 packs prize)